Predestiny
by Ceasefire
Summary: [AU ReiMao] Rei is an outsider of the White Tiger village, cursed with bringing the village bad luck. Mao is a healer of the village, and rescues Rei from an untimely fate. However, the villagers won't let them alone, and their romance may be doomed...
1. Kindness

Finally, a new Rei/Mao fic to my name. This is dedicated to Aquarius Galuxy for her birthday, for being such an excellent writer and such a great friend. I hope you'll all enjoy this take on their relationship, as this fic is AU.

**-X-**

The seventeen-year-old was crouched beside the small feline, a concentrated expression on his face. His dark hair blew in the breeze and his amber eyes, ever watchful, observed the animal's lithe form as it stepped slowly towards his crouched appearance. The kitten's tail twitched cautiously as it got close enough to the boy to curve its neck and sniff his fingers with its small pink nose, the boy's peaceful face broke into a grin as the cat started a low, contented purr and rubbed the side of its face against the boy's palm. The raven-haired man's face broke into a smile and his golden eyes shone in relief as the mammal's eyes slid shut in happiness.

As guarded and aware as the teen seemed to any observer, the only person who was watching him moved silently so as not to arouse suspicion. Cruel ice-blue eyes darted right and left, looking for the next victim of his harsh intent. The boy, so intent on the small creature that seemed to hold more trust in him than any other human had ever cared to display, stroked his hand along the length of the creature's arched spine and didn't notice the predator getting ever closer to him.

The cat's eyes suddenly darted from the dark-haired boy and its tail twitched irritably, the hair on its back bristling violently and backing away. Gold eyes widened in surprise as the feline hissed and spat, and finally darted away into the undergrowth. The teen slowly got to his feet, listening carefully for any sign of unwanted company. The observer flinched as the golden eyes scanned directly over him, but the dark-haired man made no sign that he'd actually laid eyes on him; he had either hidden himself too well in the shadows, or his prey was merely stupid. A cruel smirk brushed across the man's cracked lips. That was the more likely case. After all, he had been rejected, tormented, scathed by the people of their village. He was an outsider, and a jinx upon their fortunes...

A few more quick steps forward. Filthy dark-brown hair plastered to his forehead as he rubbed the sweat from his brow. Finally, he would have vengeance for the village, vengeance for his parents. If he killed this one boy, he knew nothing would return to how it was supposed to be... but this was revenge.

Apparently satisfied with the supposed calm, the younger male turned back around and began to call softly for the cat that had run into the trees, wanting its company.

Now was the time to move. He dashed for the boy, his hand fisted tightly and aiming for the nape of the neck. The teen turned just in time to see the man, who had been following him for some time, but he'd never been able to lay eyes on, and his mere presence and ability to avoid his sharp eyes mocked him. He threw his arms in front of his face as a natural instinct, but it was too little too late as the fist came in contact with his temple. His world spun, and he collapsed to the ground, stunned from the heavy blow to the sensitive area of his head.

Heavy breathing came from the brown-haired man, fuelled by adrenaline. This was the thrill of the chase, what had driven him to go after the easy prey in the first place. He crouched and flung the limp being over his shoulder, and headed back towards the village.

The other villagers would certainly be pleased that he had caught the cause of their bad fortune...

**-X-**

The toddler was struggling against the girl's firm grip, screaming red-faced, ever against getting the cut along his upper left arm examined. Mao gritted her teeth impatiently and tried to hold the child steady as her older brother, Lee, tried to bandage the boy's flailing limb.

"You're sure you're not being too rough with my baby?" the kid's mother asked anxiously. Mao mentally rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on the child's arm slightly, which was enough to make him let out another yowl of remonstration. His mother moaned apprehensively and wrung the handkerchief she was holding between her hands tightly.

Mao would never understand the depth of this mother's love and concern for her child. She would never feel the love one felt only for that special someone, the one that brought you a love deeper than any other emotion ever expressed by humankind. She and her brother had been the two children of the village chosen to be the next two healers of the village, mainly because they had been orphaned at a young age, by a terrible illness that had swept through the village and killed almost half its population of the time.

It didn't worry her at all. The women of the village had been brought up to be the stereotypical loving housewife, learning to do the cooking, cleaning, sewing, being shown how to prepare for the children that would almost definitely come. She didn't want to live like that, as all she wanted was her freedom. Being a servant of the village that had taken she and her brother in, and caring for its inhabitants like they, in turn, had cared for her, instead of being some pig-headed man's chattel, pleased her more than anything. This generation of the village's men hadn't been of terribly good quality, anyway.

"Mao?" Her brother murmured. The pink-haired woman snapped out of her daydream to see the bandaging had been completed in expert fashion, despite the child's struggling. She still had her tight grip on the young boy's arm, and his mother was glowering at her disapprovingly. Mao's face flushed and she released the kid's limb, and bowed respectfully to his mother.

"I'm sorry that took so long. Your son should be perfectly fine in a day or two with bed rest, as long as he keeps that arm as still as possible to help the healing."

"I'm sure he will," the woman murmured coldly, picking her son up. The boy wiped his nose across the woman's shoulder, causing Mao to flinch in disgust. "I'll suppose you'll be wanting payment for this?"

"No, we're just happy to help," Lee said, grinning at the woman, whose lips twitched upward in return; it was a sign of relief.

"Thank you." And with that, the door of the small room was open, and both mother and child were gone.

Mao sank into a chair exhaustedly, letting out a long sigh. Lee busied himself with clearing away the small amount of implements they had used to treat their last patient; antiseptics, bandages, cotton wool balls, everything you'd find in your average First Aid Kit, basically. It was unlucky for them that next to none of the other villagers had knowledge of viable medicine.

One thing she had noticed about this particular day was the heat; her pink attire was clinging tightly to her like an uncomfortable second skin, and her hair was stuck to the back of her neck by sweat in uncomfortable tendrils. What concerned her, however, was the fact that the marketplace outside seemed to be buzzing with activity. Usually, this many people didn't come out on hot days and waited until dusk to do their shopping, because there was no adequate cover from the sun in their village. Occasionally, there were cheers and shouting of superiority. This wasn't the call of a crowd, enjoying some sort of light-hearted entertainment, or simply going about their business; this seemed like a call of the bloodthirsty.

She wasn't particularly interested in what was happening. Some of the men had probably got into a small misunderstanding that had erupted into a brawl, or perhaps someone was doing something insanely dangerous. Either way, it was going to mean more work for both herself and her brother.

Suddenly, the group outside seemed to calm, and the whole world seemed to pause for a few moments, as if waiting for the next action of the rabble outside. Mao looked towards Lee, and noticed that he was standing perfectly still, concentrating on the sounds that were due to come to their ears at any moment. And then suddenly, it came; the short, high pitched whistle of an object moving fast through the air, the sharp snap of something hitting human flesh, and the pained, agonizing scream of a young man.

Lee's eyes darted towards his sister, who he realized was already staring at him with a look of shock on her face. Someone out there was hurting another human being, and from the sound of it, was being supported by the majority of the villagers.

Quick as a flash, Mao was on her feet and heading towards the corridor that eventuated at the front door of the small building. This door led to the main road of their birthplace, if you could really call it a road at all, and she was positive it was where the sounds were coming from. She heard another sharp cracking sound and a few shouts from the crowd, but the one harrowing difference this time was there was know answering cry from their victim. A few heavy footfalls and pants behind her told her Lee was following her, but this didn't deter her from where she was going at all.

She finally reached the door and she wrenched it open, and was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the sun. When her vision had returned to its former state, it became immediately clear to her that no one had been expecting she or her brother to interfere. The entire group of people, about thirty strong and only about twenty metres away from their door, had turned from watching the show and were now staring at them like intruders.

A man who was commonly known as a troublemaker in the village was at the centre of the throng. He held a leather whip, commonly used for herding animals around the village. However, the figure curled up at his feet was certainly no animal.

It was a boy of about seventeen, give or take a year. He had amazingly long black hair, which would have looked stunning in its normal state, but was currently caked with dirt and his own blood. There were four deep gashes across his back, and judging from the way he was curled up, with golden eyes so unfocused and breathing so shallow, that he was in a state of shock.

Mao knew she had no right to speak out against the other actions of the villagers, so why she chose to push her way through the group and towards the poor teen at the mercy of the people was totally beyond her. Afterwards, all she could think was that it was her job to care for these people, but her own thoughts sounded distant.

"Out of the way, girl," snarled a particularly grave looking man. "This is beyond your control."

"Why are you doing this to him?" Mao replied, trying to stay calm, but feeling the violent quaking of her own limbs. Never in her life had she known her friends, her neighbours, and her kin, to be so barbaric.

"He's brought nothing but bad luck ever since he arrived here thirteen years ago. Once he's gone, our village will once again prosper."

Mao tried to see the logic behind this, and found none. All she could see was that these people were trying to take their own pain and suffering out on a person that obviously had no idea what was wrong. At the moment, she doubted he barely knew where he was. Even worse, maybe he didn't. Suddenly, Lee was beside her and looking at her, understanding exactly how she felt.

"Lee," Mao spoke to her brother in almost a whisper, but he nodded, understanding her intent. He lowered himself into a crouch and took a closer look at the slashes on the victim's back. When he saw the severity of the cuts, he shut his eyes momentarily, and turned to Mao.

"The cuts are deep and dirty. We've got to get him into the surgery to have a look at him, but I doubt we're going to get much help from this lot." Mao nodded her understanding, and Lee continued. "So, you grab him under the arms and try and support his head as much as you can. I'll grab his legs and together we should be able to get him away from these people."

Mao once again nodded, so Lee grabbed him under his knees and Mao grabbed him under the arms as instructed.

The villagers groaned their disappointment that their entertainment was being taken away. Some even yelled insults or curses directed towards Lee and Mao, but the both of them pointedly ignored these comments. Although their house-cum-surgery was only at the maximum, thirty metres away, Mao felt as if it was the largest distance she'd ever had to walk in her life. Lee kicked the door open and when they had managed to ease themselves through, Mao kicked it closed behind her, praying that none of the mob had decided to follow them. They finally reached the room they used to treat their patients, and Lee observed that the cuts on the boy's back had been dripping blood, leaving a trail through their house. He neglected to tell Mao this, as she seemed stressed enough already.

"Are you alright Mao?" Lee asked as they placed their patient facedown on the table, to get a better look at his injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine..." Mao trailed off, and busied herself with finding bandages. "I just can't believe they could be so cruel."

Lee silently agreed and grappled around in a nearby drawer for scissors. When he found them, he cut what little remained of the boy's shirt from his body, to make their treatment easier. Mao returned to his side with an armful of bandages, a bottle of some sort of antiseptic, and an entire bag of cotton swabs. Usually, Lee laughed at his sister's precaution and teased her for bringing too many materials for treatment. But this time, they may need all the things she had brought for the boy.

Mao quickly doused one of the cotton swabs with the antiseptic lotion and began cleaning the dirt from the road away from the deep flesh wounds, delicately moving the dark strands of hair when need be. Lee watched her for a moment and then began to help, thankful that the cuts seemed to been dealt fairly cleanly and that he wouldn't have to cut away the boy's scarred flesh with the scissors.

Occasionally their patient made soft grunting sounds if they tended to a particularly bad wound, but other than that, he seemed totally unaware of where he was. Finally, the cuts were as clean as they were ever going to get, and Lee stepped away, satisfied with the job they had done.

"Now we just need to bandage him up," Mao observed. "Perhaps we should just bandage his entire torso?"

"That seems like the best way to do it," Lee replied, grabbing the masses of bandages Mao had provided him with and grinning, despite the situation.

With a little effort, they managed to push him into a sitting position and Mao wound the bandages around his body many a time, whilst Lee supported him to prevent him from falling. Once the bandaging was done, they slid him onto a small bed that they kept for these sorts of situations and placed him in a corner of the surgery that had been fitted with curtains to give the patients privacy, if they needed it.

And for the rest of that day, Mao and Lee went about their usual business. However, Mao always found herself wondering how their patient was going. She constantly went back to the surgery to check on him, and found he was in the same state almost every time; eyes closed in a peaceful sleep, whilst lying on his stomach.

However, the one time anything was different, was the time that would ultimately change the future...

**-X-**

Mao tiptoed into the room and looked towards the curtain, only to see some movement coming from behind it. Her heart lightened, knowing that he now seemed to be okay. She carefully walked over to the curtain and pulled it back, and was met with a pair of golden eyes, much like her own, shining from the darkness.

They both jumped backwards, neither of them really expecting the other to be so close. Mao gulped and took another step back from the boy, who was staring at her with an odd expression on his face.

"Err..." Mao started. "You were attacked by the villagers, so my brother and I brought you back here, and bandaged your wounds."

A slight pause in the air, before Mao heard his voice. "Thank you, but I didn't need help," the boy replied.

"They were going to kill you!" Mao exclaimed. No reply came from him, but she could see the expression on his face, and it made her heart clench tightly.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Mao," she said softly, and for the first time, she saw a smile grace his lips.

"I'm Rei. So now that we've got that over with..." Rei grabbed the pink-haired girls hands, and she heard her own quiet exclamation of surprise. He stared into her eyes steadily and she felt heat rise to her face in the same way.

"Thank you for taking care of me. It's nice to know there's one decent person in this world."

Mao didn't know how to reply to that, so she said dumbly, "My brother helped me."

"I thank him too, then."

"I'll remember to do that. He should be coming down to check on your wounds soon, anyway."

Mao was still rather aware of Rei's grip on her hands, so she coughed gently. Rei looked at her, not understanding her meaning, and she glanced down at their joined hands, and he chuckled softly; embarrassed.

"Sorry," he said, his hands dropping to his sides.

"That's okay," Mao said automatically. "I suppose I should leave you be now, so you're ready for when my brother comes to check on you."

Rei nodded and slowly got back into the bed, hissing gently as pressure was put on his cuts. Mao watched him until he got comfortable, and he smiled at her once again.

"Thank you for this."

"It's no problem, really!" Mao said, hoping the dark was adequately covering her flushed cheeks. She wasn't used to this sort of attention from any man.

She turned on her heel to leave the room, unaware that Rei's eyes were still on her until she had completely disappeared around the door frame.

**-X-**

And that was chapter one! Whew, Mao certainly got ruffled about Rei at the end. Hopefully she'll warm up to him a bit more, right? Anywho, as I said, this was a present for Aquarius Galuxy's birthday, so **happy belated birthday! **

Like it? Didn't like it? Review either way, but mindless flames shall be made an object of ridicule amongst my friends and me.


	2. Worry

Thanks for the reviews; they made my day! Nice to know there are still some loyal ReiMao fans out there. I don't own Beyblade; you know this to be true.

**-X-**

Almost two hours after Mao had visited him, Rei was still wide-awake. Lee has visited him shortly after his sister, and done all the usual things Rei would have expected from one in his position; changed his bandages, asked him how he felt, told him to try and get some rest, but Rei couldn't bring himself to shut his eyes. The unnaturally clean smell, the brightness of the room, even at this hour, even the way the equipment was set out; it all reminded him of a time he'd rather forget.

He had no right to be thinking ill against Mao and Lee, as they had thought they were doing the right thing. But, as memories of thirteen years ago flashed through his mind, he inevitably thought that bringing him here would leave him in a far more distressed state than he had been in when he'd been attacked.

A surge of panic swept through him; after seeing both of the healers, his nerves had calmed, but neither of them could shake that foreboding feeling of panic that had managed to work its way into his system. Perhaps, if he'd been just those few minutes earlier, instead of figuring his two hosts had retired for the night, he would have been able to leave before Mao had seen him, standing up and ready to work his way through the thick white curtain drawn around his bed. But this was none of their concern, and he didn't feet the need to be a burden to them any longer. He was eternally grateful, but felt that he needed to get back to his own house, if he was ever to feel secure.

Rei sat up at a rate he found to be agonisingly slow; naturally he was quite agile, and his wounds causing him physical limitations was one thing he hadn't wanted. When he had finally righted himself, he used his arms to swing himself around so that he could slide off the side of the bed and to the ground with minimal pain to his back. Once he had accomplished this task, he paused for a moment, and leant on the side of the bed, while resting almost his entire body weight on his arms. From the hours of lying down, his legs were slightly unsteady, so he patiently waited until his limbs once again got used to the pressure of his weight upon them.

His next plan was to find something to pull over his top half, which was completely bare disregarding the bandages wrapped around his torso. Rei moved slowly to the edge of the curtains and pulled them back, his eyes adjusting to the moonlight, which was flooding the pallid room an eerie shade of grey-blue. Noticing the plain white shirt he had worn when he was attacked was in tatters on the steel operating bench, he quietly opened cupboards one-by-one until he found a cupboard stocked with a few spare shirts, which were operating gowns more than something you'd wear casually. He grabbed one that looked to be his size and slipped his arms into it, not bothering to do it up at the front. Now that he had managed to crawl out of bed and find something to shield him against the cool night air, his main objective was to get out of the building without waking Lee or Mao.

As slow as humanly possible, Rei crept through the house and past the other rooms on the ground floor. He suspected that their bedrooms would be up on the second floor to catch the breeze, but he didn't feel he could be too careful. And as he reached the final door before the front door, his route of escape, he realized how lucky he'd been in assuming that there may have been someone asleep down on the bottom story of the house.

Mao was curled up on a couch in what was probably some sort of lounge room. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms were lying limply across the small portion of the couch that remained free, and her head was lying gently against the armrest. Her hair was tangled around her head, ruffled by the uncomfortable place she had chosen to sleep. Her ankle-length nightgown, trimmed with dark blue, had worked itself upwards and the hem now lay midway down her thigh.

Rei suddenly became aware of the way he was staring at her. She had shown him compassion and caring in a town that had never accepted him, a town he had arrived in, and had immediately been given the place of 'outsider'. A town that judged you on your purity of blood, and how far you could trace your family's noble legacy in the history of the people of the area and their various and detailed victories in tribal warfare.

He had none of these things, yet a girl whose family had probably lived peacefully in this place for dynasties had shown him concern and empathy as an equal, and saved his life. Perhaps this was the only thing drawing him to her, but looking down towards her uncovered thighs and feeling heat rise to his face, he somehow doubted it.

Mao suddenly stirred, as if she was aware of Rei's steady, admiring gaze on her sleeping form. Rei flinched, but found his legs unable to move, as if he were frozen to the spot. Thus, he could only stand perfectly still and stare as Mao's large golden eyes slowly opened.

For a short period, neither of them moved, as if it were a repeat of when Rei had first woken up and, unbeknownst to Mao, had tried to escape. Then Mao blinked, and her eyes were clear of all traces of weariness.

"Rei?"

She only had time to whisper his name before Rei regained his senses and bolted towards the front door, panicked by what he assumed Mao's reaction would be, and the surroundings that had left him so unnerved. Mao leapt to her feet and dashed after his, but by the time she reached the front door, Rei had already been absorbed by the darkness that blanketed the village by night, not even letting the silvery glow of the moon betray his whereabouts to Mao.

**-X-**

"He wasn't comfortable here," Lee tried to soothe his sister, who was uncharacteristically worried about their 'escapee'. "I'm sure he's gone back to... wherever he came from... and he's better off there than here."

"You sound like a parent who is trying to convince their child to release some animal they found in their garden," Mao sniffed in indignation, scraping honey across her toast with a butterknife rather violently. Lee watched his sister with an expression on his face, that read somewhere between bewilderment and mild amusement. His sister had always been a stubborn, albeit self-concerned soul, who never really went past the polite courtesies of physician for patient with the people that regularly trudged in and out of their practice; their healing and standard of care being the only one anywhere near the standards of good health set down by China within many miles, as many others turned to expensive but useless herbal remedies, or strange superstitions such as flagellum to keep themselves free of ailments.

However, with his sister around, to the common people they lacked the personal and friendly approach most of the less-qualified physicians had. So in effect, people chose between their health and friendly concern.

Mao didn't really understand her brother's incomprehension of her sudden concern for their latest patient. Finally, she had met a patient with even the slightest amount of gratitude for the work that they did for the town. How could she not be concerned for Rei, after so many more of the townspeople she had known since childhood had shown her no thanks or relief when she tended to their wounds? She supposed Lee had just said those things about Rei for the sake of making her feel better, while underneath she expected he probably thought the same of Rei as the mob who had attacked him did.

By who was she to be a hypocrite? Many people in the village had considered she and her brother, and indeed their forebears, to be strange for practicing a more modern type of medicine.

The two siblings had fallen into silence, but Mao's head was swimming with contemplation.

"Lee?"

Mao's older brother inclined his head to show he was listening, but was too busy draining his glass of milk to open his eyes to look at her.

"If we're not too busy today... I'm going to look for Rei."

Lee finished gulping down the creamy liquid and stared at his sister steadily. "Why?"

"He's injured!" she snarled, aware of what Lee was implying by that question, "And someone will need to find him to change his bandages, and clean his wounds anyway. You _know_ if we leave him alone to his own devices like this, the wounds will not heal properly, and may even become infected, which would surely result in his death if left unattended." Lee's eyes slid closed, indecisive. Mao once again bristled at her brother's nonchalance. "It is our duty, and you know he's not going to return here of his own accord."

Lee sighed. Mao was impossible to bargain with at the best of times, but when she got her heart set on a cause, there was no stopping her. "Fine, Mao... as long as we aren't too busy..."

"Even if we are, we still have a duty of care," Mao snapped, and Lee shrugged.

"He left of his own accord. We don't keep our patients locked up. But I know my humble opinion isn't going to stop you."

Mao rolled her eyes and stood up, going to get ready to find Rei. Sometimes Lee was a hard person to work with, although she knew he probably thought the same about her. Presumably, Lee was angry because he thought she was attracted to Rei... something she wasn't particularly eager to discuss with her older brother. She snatched a black bag she used to carry her supplies to house calls, and started filling it with the materials she assumed she'd need to treat Rei; anything else she'd need for the average patient suffering from a physical affliction- bandages, antiseptic, massage oils, sedatives...

Once she had packed everything she figured she's need, she reached the hard part of her venture; actually finding where Rei had gone. He had to live somewhere in or around the village, and judging by the less-than hospitable welcome he'd got from the villagers, she doubted he lived near the centre of the town, like she did. Although most of the residents lived near the middle of their village, the boundaries of their home spanned out many miles, and finding him could take her the rest of her life. Perhaps the best thing to do was to ask the person that had beaten him in the first place…?

With a determined take to her stride, Mao grabbed the full bag and headed towards the front door.

**-X-**

Rei's tired golden gaze finally fell upon the familiar building, and a small smile made it's way to his lips. He'd made it home, finally, besides passing out on the way from pain, and waking up, bathed in daylight. He didn't care about that now, however, as he twisted the doorhandle open and looked upon the small, dark living room. He shrugged off the white robe he'd been wearing and regarded his surroundings. Truthfully, he had been afraid that the person who had found him had also had the sense to look for wherever he lived, and he'd had a sudden vision of the only remnants he had of his parents going up in flames.

But now that he was back to familiar surroundings, he felt himself relax, and his eyelids immediately become droopy. How that he felt safe, it would be easier to sleep, to recover... he dragged himself up the thin flight of stairs to his bedroom, and collapsed onto his bed, vaguely aware that his legs were hanging loosely from the end of the bed. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep… however, one final thought slid through his mind...

'_I meant what I said about you helping me, Mao, but your involvement will only further complicate things, and put you in danger... but truly, thank you...'_

**-X-**

Blue eyes glistened sinisterly in the early morning sunlight, as the blonde man sat outside his house. A small white puppy scampered into the yard, chasing a small lizard and panting happily from the thrill of chasing it. The man smirked and picked up a small rock, waiting for the opportune moment to throw it at the small canine. However, his sadistic glee was cut short as the pink-haired healer woman from the centre of the village stepped into his yard uncertainly, avoiding the overgrown weeds delicately.

To him it seemed a real disappointment that a girl of her exquisite quality had been chosen to be a slave to medicine and the village's general population. She'd been a scruffy child, opting to play games like soccer with the boys instead of grooming dolls or dressing up like other girls. However, to men, social hierarchy had little to do with whom you actually socialized, while with girls, popularity seemed to be their lifeblood; perhaps it was good she'd grown up with a more even existence. Now, looking at the way her curves moved fluidly in her simple light pink robe and white shoes, he could see that physically, she was _anything _but even.

Mao smiled lightly as she drew closer, and the man drew his lips over his gums in a too-wide-to-be-natural smile.

"Hello, Mister..." Mao trailed off, unsure of the man's name.

"Liu. Liu Tzujin," the man filled the gap, with an incline of his head. Mao jerked her head down in a short bow, resenting that she had to show respect to this person purely because of his gender and then faced him again, glad of the fact that she was looking down upon him.

"I'm Mao Chou, a healer of the village," Mao introduced herself formerly. "And I understand that you were involved in an attack on that boy yesterday."

"I found him," Liu carelessly shrugged as though they were discussing the weather. "He has no significance or family link to this village at all; he's an outsider."

"Regardless, I am entrusted with the medical care of these people, and I require some assistance."

"And how will you be paying me back for this 'assistance' I offer you?" he asked, looking her up and down a few times. Mao felt her stomach twist at that implication, and she had the urge to turn and run before she was sick from the thought.

"You will tell me where he lives. You know my duty as well as I do, and I do not expect to be charged for this inquest."

Liu grunted and flicked his hand carelessly westward. "You know the river out that way? He lives about one hundred paces from the waterfall. Not sure which direction, but you should be able to see the place by then. Then again, if that kid hadn't been so heavy yesterday, it would be burnt to the ground. Tell him being fat is bad for his health."

Mao turned on her heel and strode away from the man, who had gone back to running his fingers through his greasy hair. It was moments like this that made her glad she would never marry.

She picked up the bag full of medical supplies that she had left by Tzujin's low stone fence, and began to head in the indicated direction, uncomfortably aware of the pair of eyes that were focused on her until she got to the commencement of the forest. This was a place that brought to even the most violent of people a strange inner peace. It was almost like a stereotype from a fairytale; she could hear the river running nearby, light filtered through the foliage above in tiny golden dapples and the leaves on the ground crunched crisply underfoot as she walked. For a while she wandered around in the shade, dawdling along her merry way. She should have been hurrying to find Rei, but now that she knew where he was it would be much easier to find him anyway... but that was really no excuse. Perhaps she was unwilling to see him after both the mishaps from the night before.

As she continued, her ears eventually caught the distant gurgling sound of the water rushing over the rocks and to the stream below, and knew she was close. Following the distinct sound through the trees, she eventually found the small cascade and strained her eyes, turning in a circle to look for where Rei lived.

Mao spotted a flash of white through the woods, and she walked towards it, uncomfortably aware of the heavy black bag digging into her arm. She reached a small clearing, and found herself staring at Rei's house.

It was a two-story house, albeit it was small and looked worn. It was constructed completely from wood and had once been painted white in its prime, but Rei seemed to have been neglecting it for some time now, as the paint was peeling, and a few of the timber slats used to construct it had been almost completely worn and splintered away. The only other structure within sight was a small shed with an iron roof, and a rusted tricycle by the front door. Mao tried to refrain from giggling as she imagined a three-year-old Rei pedalling around this clearing, with proud parents looking on.

This thought brought a question to her mind; where exactly _were_ Rei's parents? Liu had said he had come to the village thirteen years prior, meaning he would have only been three or four years old in the first place; he couldn't have come here on his own. Her eyes narrowed. This was just one more thing she'd be left to wonder about him.

Cautiously, she walked up to the front door and pushed it open, realizing that it hadn't been closed properly by whoever had last entered.

"Hello? Excuse me..." Mao called, only to be answered by silence. The furnishing of the house had apparently been done with no sense of coordination in mind, as all of the furniture looked to be pretty much mix and match. She looked around for any identifying features, and noticed the white robe Rei had been wearing when he'd run away, embellished with a small cat paw-shaped drawing on the tag – both she and her brother had decided it would be a logo of sorts to them; so she was definitely in the right place. The only rooms that appeared to be on the bottom floor were the kitchen, dining and lounge rooms, so she proceeded to the flight of stairs.

The first doorway at the top of the stairs was closed, so she avoided it for the time being, afraid she would intrude into someone's private business. She went to the room on the right, and it was empty, except for a few boxes full of thing Rei had obviously wanted to store. The final room's door was open, and she peeked around the doorframe carefully only to lay eyes on Rei, who was lying on his side, still wearing the same pants he'd been wearing when she'd saved him, and no shirt.

Although she figured he must have been completely exhausted, his sleep seemed to be fitful, as his brow continually furrowed and his jaw was tightly set. His black hair was unbound and splayed out behind him; although still slightly matted by blood, it looked like he'd fallen asleep upon a satin sheet purely because of ebony tendrils fanned out behind him. Some of his hair had fallen into his face, and he snuffled uncomfortably as one of the strands brushed against the tip of his nose.

Mao's hand unconsciously moved forward to brush his hair from his face, but paused midway. Was it right to touch him so tenderly when he was unaware? Would he think ill of her? Sure, he had grabbed her hands the previous night, but this seemed so much more intimate to her... while she was not used to human contact or emotion, he seemed to be a person particularly apt at showing his feelings through actions rather than words, although he seemed to be able to display his emotions without even moving...

Mao crushed the doubts in her mind and slowly extended the tips of her fingers to his face and brushed his hair behind his ear, her palm lingering on his cheek. She was actually surprised of the softness of his skin, considering his work-roughened hands and the scars he'd have on his back from the attack.

Rei's eyes suddenly flashed open, taking her by surprise. Before Mao could say anything, Rei had twisted himself around gracefully and taken a tight grip on her wrist, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. Mao cried out, from surprise more than pain and yanked her wrist from his grasp violently. It was at that point Rei seemed to realize who she was, and his face lost its severity. Mao had backed up against the opposite wall, holding onto her wrist, having been startled by his sudden movement. Rei stood up slowly, being careful not to put pressure on his scarred flesh, and took two cautious steps towards Mao, who regarded him carefully, unsure of his motives. Their eyes locked, and Mao blinked rapidly, but Rei's gaze remained steady. Finally, he spoke, in a slow, even tone.

"Mao... why did you come here?"

**-X-**

And that's the end of this chapter. Sorry for the cliff-hanger, guys. The next update should be about a month or so away, as I have exams next week and the week after. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And in the next chapter or two, the real ReiMao starts!


	3. Trust

Once again, thanks to my reviewers, although a lot of you decided not to come back... oh well. I'm still glad people are enjoying this fic ...insert obligatory disclaimer here. Also, happy late birthday to Ranma! Haha, this fic is an excuse for not buying you guys real gifts!

**-X-**

Mao stopped cowering from against the opposite wall to Rei and drew herself up to her full, professional, not-very-impressive height. Rei was still about a head taller than her, but she appreciated that it made her look a little less pathetic.

"I came here because you still need medical attention. It is my job to ensure that the people of this village stay safe and healthy. And running off in the middle of the night surely did you no good, judging by the state your bandages are in."

Rei looked over his shoulder towards the cloth that was bound around his torso, and saw that she was right; when the dressing had first been applied, it had been pure white. It was now a father nauseous-looking grey colour, albeit a few patches of blood from where particularly bad cuts had once again begun to bleed from the physical strain running back to his home had put on them.

"Now, there's one thing I'd like to ask you," Mao said softly, leaving Rei feeling rather patronized, "Why did you run away?"

Rei hesitated, wondering if she should really know why the town, the surgery, and generally the whole surrounding area made him feel uneasy. Although it was really the key to her better understanding his situation, it wasn't something he felt ready to casually share with his physician.

"The town just makes me nervous... and the longer I stay there, the more danger I feel I'm in."

Mao nodded, and grabbed the bag full of medical supplies from where she had dropped it when she had entered the room. She opened it, and dug through its contents until she found the small jar of antibacterial cream, scissors and clean bandages. Rei watched her cautiously the whole time, having been unnerved by her sudden intrusion. When he had left, he had tried to send them the message that he felt he didn't need help, but unfortunately, Mao apparently hadn't wanted to let him live by his own remedies. As the pink-haired woman righted her posture and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, he quickly averted his gaze from her.

"Sit up straight, please," Mao instructed, and Rei did as he was told, reaching behind his head to grab his hair and hold it away from his body as a force of habit. Mao gratefully dropped everything but the scissors onto the end of Rei's bed, and sat down next to him, ready to cut the old bandages away from his flesh. It then occurred to her that Rei's bed must have been designed for a child, because there was barely enough room for both of them to sit on it. Judging on the way Rei had half been hanging off the end of the bed when she'd come in, and the worn, tattered state of its wooden supports, it must have been at least fifteen or twenty years old.

Mao parted the scissors' and slid the top of the bandages between the two separated blades, violently hacking away at the matted cloth. Rei regarded her silently, apart from the occasional uncomfortable snuffle when the cold metal brushed against his skin. Mao felt rather uncomfortable with this silence, so she decided to try and make conversation.

"So... do you live here alone?"

A slight hesitation preceded Rei's reply. "Yes. I was orphaned when I was four years old, just a few months after my family came to this village from our hometown."

"Truly?" Mao suddenly reached the bottom of the bandages and eased the cloth away from his body, shuddering when Rei hissed as the cloth came away from his weeping cuts. "My parents died when I was three, from a terrible fever... I would have died if I didn't have my brother. How could you stand being alone for that long?"

"I couldn't."

Mao became aware that this was becoming an uncomfortable topic for Rei, so she decided to change the subject. "Do you have any idea why they came after you?"

"I assume it was the same reason as last time."

"They've come after you more than once?" Mao asked, grabbing the small bottle of antiseptic cream, and gesturing for Rei to lie facedown on the bed. He followed her command and craned his neck over his shoulder, so that he could face her while he was answering. "Only once or twice more. This was the first time they've ever attempted to physically harm me. The other times it was just the usual... _you're bad luck, you bring misfortune..._"

Mao was once again stunned by his sincerity. Many of the people she had treated looked down upon her as an inferior, a servant to their every medical whim. Perhaps it was only the fact that they were both looked down upon by their society, but Mao felt a mutual level of trust between herself and Rei. Maybe it was only the fact that they held their social status common to the other's... but Rei seemed like the most sincere person she knew, but sincerity is nothing without honour. Yet, he was the rare sort of person that she felt would keep any secret she told, honour any pledge...

Rei's form took up the entire bed. She'd either have to sit on top of him or perform the entire task standing.

She smeared the cream across her fingertips and stared at Rei's torn flesh, wondering exactly where she should start. Because the cuts nearest to his shoulders and arms would undoubtedly give him the most trouble, she decided to start there to give him a little relief from the pain. Being as gentle as was physically possible, Mao brushed the ointment evenly across the wound. The tension in Rei's muscles increased dramatically as he tried to cope with the pain from his wounds, even though the pressure Mao was applying to his skin was only small. Mao halted her progress, and looked towards Rei's face.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Although Rei knew it was only common courtesy, he felt somewhat brightened by Mao's concern. "I'll say this; you're certainly not hurting me as much as the pain of the cuts was before you arrived."

Mao nodded approvingly, grabbing the small jar again and once again smearing her fingers with the ointment. "I'm glad it's helping, even though it is only a small improvement... as long as we keep applying this cream to the cuts, the scarring won't be nearly as bad as it would have been, had you been left unattended."

"I have a feeling that if I'd been left unattended, I'd probably be dead," Rei said lightly, gritting his teeth violently when Mao plastered the salve over the more disfigured flesh on his back. Mao evened out the latest addition to the layer of cream that she was daubing his back with, and decided to not reply. There were questions she wanted the answers to about his life, how he had lived by himself for so long... but she knew that would be intrusive into his private life. However, the small amount of girlish curiosity in her mind was getting the better of her, and before she could get control of it, her mouth was open and she was asking him.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Mao started, waiting for a signal from her patient, willing for her to continue. Rei tilted his head over his shoulder and looked at her, golden eyes filled with inquisitiveness.

"How did you manage to live out here by yourself for so many years? You were only young when your parents died... how did a four-year-old manage to keep himself alive? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Mao said hurriedly, noticing the look of increasing unwillingness on Rei's face.

Rei shut his eyes, thinking back over the details of his life. Most of the details would undoubtedly incriminate him, but this was the only negative impact that could come out of telling her how he had manage to stay alive. He sighed, feeling Mao's curious gaze on him hopefully.

"After my parents died... I continued to stay in this house. For a while I just ate what was already here, and drank from the stream near here... I assume you saw it on your way here." Mao nodded, urging Rei to continue. "After that... everything I ate was pretty much off the trees around here, or stolen... most of my clothes were too, actually, but now I'm old enough to be wearing old things my father used to wear, so theft of clothing isn't really a prerequisite of my life anymore."

"And the food?" Mao asked uncertainly, vaguely aware that this time when she began to massage the balm into his skin, he didn't flinch.

"I have to eat," Rei replied. "And may I just say that I am in no way proud of what I've had to do to keep myself alive. It was most probably a waste anyway, seeing that if the townspeople come after me again, I may end up dead."

"You really shouldn't think like that, Rei," Mao said, carefully surveying his back for any spots she had accidentally missed smothering in the antibacterial cream. "In the world, they say that there is always two people who love you so much they'd die for you."

"They're both gone now..." Rei sighed, "And there are too many degrees and descriptions of the word 'love' in the world. I think it really has become meaningless."

"I couldn't say," Mao responded, stretching her legs and leaning over the bed to snatch the bandages from near Rei's right foot. "The only person I've ever felt any sort of love for is my brother. My parents died so early in my life and had so little to do with us as children in general that them passing away seemed almost... unremarkable to me, as cruel as that may sound. I will never feel romantic love, because all the Healers in the village, since the beginning of medicinal treatments of ailments, have been married to their work..."

"A shame, really," Rei interrupted, regarding her with a look of amusement.

"What is?" Mao asked, offering Rei her arm in order to help him sit up so she could reapply the bandages.

"That you'll never feel what it is to love someone," Rei smiled up at her, keeping a firm grip on her arm.

"And why is that?" Mao asked unsurely, feeling heat rise to her face at the way Rei's hold on her arm softened as he regained his balance.

"I have extremely good reason to believe that the statement you just made will eventually become untrue." Mao's incomprehension became apparent on her face, so Rei decided to clarify what he meant. "Just because you aren't allowed to _display _love doesn't mean you'll never _feel_ it."

"I don't understand..." Mao whispered, the look on Rei's face seemingly locking her in place.

"You say you're not allowed to fall in love, but do you really think that anything can stop you? You're the only person in the world who knows how you feel inside. So wouldn't it be more appropriate to say you're allowed to fall in love, but never show it?"

"I suppose so..." Mao mused, and realized he was right. Rei released her arm and she sat down on the bed beside him and started the long task of reapplying the bandages to his injured form. Rei snuffled softly every time she recoated a particularly sensitive spot, but he gradually became used to the pain, and it grew slighter and slighter with every layer of bandages she put on. Eventually she sat back, satisfied with her effort, and nodded happily at Rei.

"This new dressing should last until the next time I see you, Rei."

"I see..." Rei murmured, getting to his feet carefully and accustoming himself to the feel of the new bonds. "And when will you be coming to see me next?"

"How about this time next week, in the afternoon? That is, assuming your bandages stay in a relatively good state of wear..." Mao smirked, and got to her feet.

"I don't appreciate that implication, thanks," Rei said drolly, folding his arms.

"I realized," Mao smiled at Rei and walked towards the door. "I'll see you next week, Rei."

Rei nodded, and Mao disappeared around the doorframe and down the stairs. Rei waited until the front door clicked shut behind the pink-haired woman. He then collapsed back against his bed, eyes closed, preparing himself for the usual, lonely week to pass by.

**-X-**

For both Mao and Rei, the following week proceeded with as much normality as it could have possibly suffered. Mao dealt with screaming children, anxious parents and Lee's incessant complaints about the patients he dealt with, and that she, a female, was treating Rei, a male, and that it should be left up to him. She felt her brother was too cautious, and as a refreshing change as compared to how she usually felt about having to visit her patients, she was actually looking forward to seeing Rei again. Rei dealt with lying on his bed, feeling particularly lonely after Lee and Mao's company for the two days beforehand, and generally waiting for Mao to come back. Although he had only know her for a brief time, it was probably the most friendly relationship he had been involved in with a human being for over ten years. Perhaps it was only this that made him so endeared to her, and the fact that she saved him, but he felt a deep attachment to her. Both of them felt their nerves being repaired as the time to see each other again drew nearer.

Mao's heart felt particularly light as she carried all of the supplies she would need to treat Rei in her arms. Her brother had been called out to visit an ailing patient, so this week she had been forced to carry all she would need manually. She wasn't as bothered by this as she had assumed she would be, probably because this week she didn't need to carry as much. She had assumed the only things she would need would be another tube of cream and more bandages, and assuming that the cuts on his back were beginning to scar, there would be no more bleeding. However, the preoccupation of her arms proved to be more of a hindrance than she had first estimated; the path to Rei's house was so overgrown with slippery grasses, and covered with fallen leaves and gnarled tree branches that she lost her balance more than once. Perhaps she just noticed the difference because the last time she had come this way, she had been paying slightly more attention.

When she reached Rei's home, the first thing Mao noticed was that, as compared to her last visit, the house seemed more secure. All the windows and doors were tightly shut, whereas last time she'd been here, one week ago, they had been left open carelessly. Although there was a certain degree of trust between most of the villagers, and the majority left their windows open and doors unlocked, even when they were out of the house. Then again, if she had been Rei, she probably would have shut herself up in the house and gladly locked all of the windows and doors, then thrown away the key.

Mao knocked on the door gently, and receiving no reply, knocked as loudly as she could and called out to Rei for added effect. After once again getting no response but silence, she assumed that Rei was out of the house, although she had no clue where he would actually have gone. Perhaps the reason he didn't hear him coming up from behind her.

"Have I kept you waiting?"

Mao smiled and spun around. Rei was standing behind her, grinning straight back at her, wearing only his usual pair of long black pants, with damp hair hanging down behind him like a heavy curtain.

"What have you been doing?" Mao inquired, pointing to his moist hair.

"Bathing, like most normal people do," Rei replied, subconsciously reaching over his shoulder to grab his hair and attempt to wring the dampness out of it. "In the stream over there." Rei waved his spare hand carelessly in the general direction of the stream that Mao had originally used a guide to find his home. A tint of pink rose to Mao's cheeks at this information, but Rei was too busy violently strangling the water out of his hair to notice.

"Most of the villagers... including myself and my brother... we get our drinking water from that stream."

Rei's eyebrow twitched upward in slight interest and he reached the ends of hair; the water that emerged from his hair probably could have easily filled a mug. "Has it ever made you sick?"

Mao shook her head slowly, and Rei smirked, amused by her embarrassment. "Then I doubt that I'm in any way bad for you." It could have just been the way he worded his answer, but Mao felt a nervous jolt run through her stomach. Her senses then came to her, and she realized that Rei had taken off his bandages in order to wash his wounds. With his eyes on her carefully the whole time, Mao stepped around him so that she was facing his back, and shifted his hair to allow herself to see his abrasions. Just as she had assumed, they had scarred over, and the majority of his skin was now nothing more than a mass of scabbing.

"How are they healing?" Rei asked quietly.

"As well as they'll ever be healing," came the reply. "And why the worried tone? Are you concerned about the quality of your skin once it's fully healed?"

"Nothing as vain as that..." Rei paused, considering how snooty he must have sounded. "I'm actually more concerned about whether it will impair my physical capabilities."

Mao frowned at the boy's back, and being excruciatingly gentle, ran her index finger down one of the deeper cuts. "I don't think there's been any muscle damage; the cuts weren't quite deep enough for that." Rei muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Sure felt deep enough to me'. Mao chose to ignore him. "If you're more worried about why it's so sore now, then you really shouldn't. These wounds will definitely take some time to heal; you shouldn't rush it."

Mao stepped back around his form to face him. "Although we could probably stop bandaging it now... I would like to just keep it protected from infection for one more week. But I don't think there's any infection, so I won't have to use the cream again."

"That's fine," Rei responded. Mao knew that today's task you be a lot easier than the previous week's; basically all she had to do was wrap the bandages around tight enough to keep them on for a week; nothing as detailed and spectacular as the last time. Rei was able to assist her this time through by holding the starting end of the bandages against his chest, whilst Mao walked steadily around him repeatedly, making sure that there would be enough layering to last him the week.

"Thank you for that," Mao said, when the length of material had been used up. She placed the full tube of cream she had brought along with her into his hand. "In case the skin breaks again, which it may, just keep this with you."

"Thank you," Rei said, looking down at the small container in his hand. Now was really the time that she should depart his company, but after both of them searched their feelings, they discovered that they didn't feel that they wanted to be left alone so soon.

"Mao, if you haven't got anything to do back in the village..." Rei hesitated as her eyes locked upon him. This did indeed sound like a desperate bid for company, but he didn't really care, as he had nothing to lose, "I'm going to see my pets now... do you want to come with me?"

Mao considered his request. She certainly didn't mind spending more time with Rei, as he seemed to be one of the more tolerable patients she'd had in her life, and she wasn't exactly looking forward to going back home to care for the **intolerable** ones. She could just tell Lee that Rei had required more treatment than she'd assumed, thus she had been held up with treating him.

"Yeah, I'll come with you," Mao answered, and Rei's face lit up with happiness.

"Thank you Mao... I'll go and change into something more appropriate, then..." Rei disappeared behind the front door, and Mao sat down on the front step of his house to wait for him. At this point in time, she was extremely grateful that Rei lived away from the village, as people might have grown extremely suspicious of their relationship if they had seen them together... especially for a person such as herself, who wasn't supposed to have any sort of relationship with men at all, even if it was only friendship. But, this was the point that had been bothering her the most; _did they really consider it to only be a friendship of sorts?_

**-X-**

Kind of another cliffie... don't worry; I know a lot of you will like chapter four. This chapter was too... dialogue-dependant, but hey, there had to be one. Thanks for reading, and review if you feel so inclined (or even if you don't!).


	4. Just Friendship?

Thanks once again for all your input and reviews, guys; soon I'll have fifty reviews! So many people support Rei and Mao's destined romance! Beyblade is the rightful property of Aoki Takao. I hope you enjoy this... _slightly romantic_ chapter.

**-X-**

Was it really a foolish thing to be feeling friendship for Mao? Rei had wondered this since he had first met her. At first he had only assumed that he was showing her what most people would have considered to be 'friendly concern'. However, judging by her flustered reaction to him touching her, she apparently felt rather uncomfortable about the whole situation. He sighed softly, causing his loose hair to flutter madly across his face, and then continued searching for something to pull over his bare top half. He didn't want to wear anything to tight, so as not to put any unnecessary pressure on his wounds, and unfortunately, he had already outworn most of the clothing his father had owned when he'd been alive. He eventually decided on a shirt that wasn't as dilapidated as most of his other attire, but almost exactly the same as every other shirt his father had owned; white, high-collared, button-down, long-sleeved. Although it was quite true that he was desperate for new clothing, he would walk around completely naked before he would even think of wearing his mother's old clothes, most of which were pattered with gold and silver flowers and bright pink in colour.

Rei slipped his shoes back on and swiftly headed towards the staircase, not wanting to keep Mao waiting any longer. Before he headed out the front door to meet her, however, he did a quick once-over of his kitchen to make sure there were no scraps he could spare. When he found none, indeed barely enough to feed himself let alone his pets; he walked to his front door and opened it slowly, so as not to surprise Mao. It was a good thing he took this measure too, because she had been sitting on his front doorstep with her back against the door. Mao twisted her body around to look at Rei, and he grinned guiltily.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting..." he trailed off as Mao shook her head.

"No, I was fine here... it's always good to have some time to yourself to gather your thoughts."

"I have a lot of time for that," Rei grinned, the corners of his mouth tipping only just enough for Mao to notice. He stepped around Mao's still-seated form and offered her his hand. Mao regarded Rei for a moment, debating on whether to display such trust in him. However, the offer must have lingered a little too long for Rei, who took at step back, and mumbled, "I should have known you wouldn't need my help."

"No, it's not that..." Mao paused as she hauled herself back onto her feet, whilst groaning softly with the effort. Once she was righted, she continued, "I'm sorry that I seem so distrusting, but..." her cheeks coloured to a pale shade of pink, "My brother is starting to question our relationship."

Rei's answer to this was a blank look. Mao refused to meet his eyes and decided to rephrase what she was saying. "He suspects that we're having... intimate relations."

"Oh?" Rei responded, suddenly taking off towards the nearby stream. Mao sniffed indignantly and jogged to catch up to him; she was actually surprised by how much energy was in his pace, considering that she had stressed that he had to _take it slow._

"Oh? _Oh!" _Mao snapped, catching up to him and walking by his side. "Do you know what happens to me if I'm found to be having an indecent relationship with a man?"

"Considering that you continually remind me that you're not allowed to love..." Rei stated evenly, his gaze fixed on what was directly in front of them, "I don't think it would be too pleasant."

"I would most likely be hanged," Mao said softly, and Rei's eyebrows twitched upward.

"Really? And of the man?"

Mao smirked, despite herself. Rei noticed this from the corner of his eye and stopped dead, turning to face Mao, who was now stifling giggles. "What are you giggling about, Mao?"

Mao pointed downwards, and Rei frowned. "I apologize, but I don't think I'm quite sure what you're referring to..." Mao replied by pointing directly to Rei's groin, and he felt heat rush to his face, but quickly drain away when she made a 'scissors' gesture with her middle and index fingers.

_"Snip, snip," _Mao said, opening and closing the gap between her fingers for emphasis. "Now do you understand?"

"Loud and clear," Rei replied hollowly, while looking rather pale.

"Now that I think of it, in the worst cases of fornication, the man would also be put to death," Mao mused, reaching up to adjust the bow in her hair thoughtfully.

"Death would be better than the former, I think," Rei replied. Noticing Mao's doubtful look, he added, "You'd have to be male to understand."

Rei seemed to be quite traumatized after this, so Mao tried to take his mind off the idea of castration. "So, where exactly are we headed?"

"A field not too far from here... just across the stream. Not really that far, when you think about it... though I am glad that you decided to accompany me."

"Well, it certainly beats going back to the village and facing the usual tribulations," Mao grumbled. Rei laughed softly, and kicked at a small, rounded stone amongst the grass.

"Well, it's certainly nice to know you'd choose me over work, at the very least."

Mao flushed uncomfortably. "I... really didn't mean it like that," she stuttered, vaguely wondering to herself exactly how much she did value Rei. She had only known him for a short while, but he was already one of the best friends she'd had. However, that wasn't really saying much, as her only real friend growing up had been her brother. But still, her mind eased when she realized how easy it was to talk to him about her life, and everything that had happened to her. He seemed well at-ease with her situation, as he was hardly one to judge on the quality of one's life.

"Well, how did you mean it?" Rei questioned, curious to find just how seriously she took her work. Mao had seemed fixated on her work, but perhaps it was really only a façade... she didn't seem like the sort of person who liked her life mapped out before her. He noticed her unsure look, and he smiled at her, reassuring her of his intentions. "Mao, do you honestly think I have anyone to tell? If you don't really enjoy it, I can assure you, I don't really enjoy anything about this village either."

"Well... I suppose the honest truth is that I really do hate it here," Mao sighed, intuitively wringing her hands against the front of her dress. "The people here are extremely self-absorbed; I don't doubt that you were the first to sincerely thank me for helping you. They rely on Lee, and myself yet they treat us so rudely and distrust us. They believe that we practice in the dark arts and sometimes makes patients worse off than when they first came to us..." her previously nervous expression was being replaced with a scowl. "Sometimes people are beyond saviour; nature simply works like that. But, of course it's not the general track of life, it's my _evil _brother, and me, _the little witch_." Rei was watching her with interest, and Mao suddenly became aware that she'd started ranting like a madwoman. "Well... to sum it up, if it wasn't for my brother being here and wanting to stay here, I would probably run away."

Rei frowned, nodding his head slowly whilst processing what Mao had just told him. He also sighed; he didn't realize how much she actually hated being here.

"Like you, I would probably be one thousand time happier if I didn't live here..."

"Then why don't you leave?" Mao interrupted.

"Because I, also have family ties to this village. Not like ancestry, and pure blood and all the other things they despise me for not having," Rei said quickly, drowning out Mao's attempted response. "This village holds for me, the final resting place of my parents; the only memories I have of them are in that house. And even if I did leave, where would I go? I cannot return from where I came from, and I would probably be as welcome in the other villages around here as I am in this one."

They reached the stream. It wasn't particularly wide; if you took a running jump, you would definitely make it across, unless you jumped like some form of turtle. As Rei had made the journey so many times before, he knew perfectly well that he could make it across with very little trouble. However, due to his change in circumstances, namely the injuries on his back, he suddenly became doubtful of his ability to make the jump. He glanced over at Mao, who was staring at the stream with a rather dubious look on her face.

"Do you think you can jump over?"

Mao glanced over at him and tried to smile. However, she just ended up looking strained. "I used to jump over this stream as a child. I'm sure I can do it now." Of course this was approximately a decade ago when she'd been wearing pants, not an ankle-length cotton robe. But there was really no need to mention that; she liked to think she was a strong woman and that she could take care of herself.

"If you say so," Rei replied, a slight smirk on his face. Mao bristled at him and Rei laughed, walked to the edge of the watercourse and eased himself down to sit on the banks of the stream. Mao watched with interest, and then suppressed a surprised gasp and Rei dropped into the water and out of sight. A few seconds ticked by, and Rei emerged from the water, violently shook his hair out of his eyes, and proceeded to stand to his full height, leaving half of his body submerged.

"How deep is it?" Mao called over the sound of the water.

"Only up to my waist," Rei looked over his shoulder at Mao, surprised by her concern.

Mao's relief suddenly turned to anger. "Then why in the world did you allow your entire body to submerge? You scared the life out of me! And you've got your bandages all wet! I just replaced them you know, and I didn't bring enough to do them again! Totally inconsiderate..."

"Mao, shush," Rei said, laughing at Mao's snarly expression. "You sound like my wife, grumpy that I didn't push my clothes in the wash basket."

"How chauvinist," Mao sniffed and folded her arms grumpily. "Not all women wash clothes and cook meals, you know."

"And not all women..." Rei started, reaching the other side of the bank, "... Would stand on a river band and grumble about gender equality, while someone was waiting for them on the opposite bank. You know that most women do such things, but you're unique and control your own life, which is probably why I like you." Rei was so busy hauling himself out of the river that he didn't notice the violent shade of pink that descended on Mao's cheeks at his words. "So Mao, are you going to be coming across?"

Mao nodded and judged the distance between where she was currently standing and the other side of the brook. It was about one-and-a-half-metres across, two at the very most... but could she still jump that far? She was positive that where she had played as a child, that the distance had been smaller. The river had probably broken it down over time, anyway...

She took a few large strides backward, keeping her eyes fixed directly in front of her. Once she had mentally encouraged herself to the best of her ability, she began running towards the river as fast as her legs could carry her. She kept focused on the opposite bank, and when she reached the edge of the side she was on, she used it as a foothold to propel herself forward and towards Rei. However, it quickly became apparent that she hadn't quite got enough forward momentum, and she hit the opposite edge of the river roughly, teetering precariously on the edge until Rei grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him. She overbalanced, still unsure of her footing, and crashed into Rei's chest with a large, wet slapping sound. Rei grunted from the extra force, but managed to maintain his footing.

For a moment, Mao remained petrified and clung to Rei's waist, scared that she'd once again lose her balance. Rei remained quiet the whole time, desperately trying to ignore the way Mao's breath was fanning across his stomach. Mao suddenly became aware of the compromising position she was in, and broke away a little too suddenly; this time Rei did lose his balance, and fell backwards, landing flat on his behind.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Mao said, kneeling down next to Rei, whom was still wincing from the impact. "I'm so clumsy."

"No, it's fine," Rei said, forcing a grin to appear on his face. "Just give me a little more warning next time you want to push me over for any reason."

Mao nodded whilst trying to ignore the implications she kept hearing in whatever he said. She offered him her hand, and he took it. Once he had been dragged back onto his feet, they continued on their way, vaguely aware that their hands were still clasped together...

**-X-**

"Are we almost there?" Mao asked, looking at the thick boundary of trees that was looming before them.

"Not far now," Rei murmured back. He started forward, whilst upholding his gentle grip on her hand. Perhaps it was her fear of what was behind the trees, or simply to show that she was ready to follow after him, but for some reason or another the grip upon his hand was suddenly tightened, her hand fitting into his snugly.

He pushed through the thick foliage, holding the branches back for Mao until she was far past the paths they took to swing back into position, and warned her of particularly precarious parts of the forest, where it was easy to trip. Mao could see the light from the other side of the trees gradually becoming easier to see, and suddenly, the thicket of trees did end, and Mao was momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness. Dropping Rei's hand in order to rub at her eyes several times, Mao blinked over and over again, until the patterns dancing in front of her eyes subsided. She opened her eyes, and was briefly stunned by the site.

Rei had brought her to where couples from the village were traditionally married. Of course, Rei had no way of knowing this, and even she had not seen it before, as only the couple getting married, and their immediate families were permitted to set foot in the clearing. However, there seemed to be fewer and fewer marriages in the village as the popular gradually dwindled, and she would have heard if a couple were engaged to be married, so being in this place posed no immediate threat.

It really was a beautiful place; its beauty probably would have been greatly magnified had it not been so overgrown from mistreatment. The grass had overgrown, and gradually yellowed from lack of water. The trees were gnarled and covered in silvery moss, and compared to the rest of the village there seemed to be a very noticeable lack of wildlife.

Rei had crouched down in a small patch were the grass had completely rotted away, and was making soft coaxing noises at the back of his throat. Mao stopped admiring their surroundings and was suddenly interested in what he was doing.

"Why are you..."

"Don't you know?" Rei grinned, looking up at her briefly. "I'm calling my pets."

A disturbance suddenly erupted in the grass, and began to head in Rei's direction. A small cat suddenly appeared in the bare patch of ground, its tail rigid in the air with happiness, a deep purr rumbling in its throat. Although the predominant colour of the animal's coat was white, it was streaked with black at random intervals on its abdomen, tail and ribcage. It had large green eyes that suddenly locked on Mao, giving a look-over to the unfamiliar person.

It took one step closer, sniffed the air, and gave one contented meow. The feline then rushed back to Rei, who was seated in the clearing, with its tail still in the air, and begin rubbing violently against the boy's moist shirt.

"So, who's this?" Mao asked, once Rei had stopped laughing, and making futile attempts to stop the cat from expressing its appreciation for him.

"He's Driger," Rei said simply, and Driger sat contentedly in Rei's lap and shut his eyes, content now that he knew Mao posed no threat.

"Driger? After the guardian of the village?" Mao asked, surprised.

"I once heard some of the villagers say that the White Tiger, Driger gives good things to his people, if they are good themselves. He's the best thing that I've received from this village, so he's named Driger," Rei shrugged. "I can't really come up with a better explanation than that."

"No, I see what you mean," Mao replied. "But... when you invited me here, you said _pets_, not singular _pet._"

"Aah, the other's a bit shy... even around me. While I've known Driger for about three years, she just showed up out of the blue about two weeks ago. I was actually trying to get her to trust me more when I was attacked, dragged to the village and… well, you know the story from there. Wait, here she is!" Rei exclaimed, pointing to the small, ginger-coloured figure that had just poked its head out from the grass. Large electric blue eyes peered cautiously at Mao and Rei, and as the small animal emerged from the bushes, Mao could see the evident difference between the two cats. Driger seemed stockier, whilst the female was thinner, lankier.

Mao crouched down next to Rei, and slowly held her hand out for the cat to sniff. The ginger feline approached her slowly, sniffing her fingers cautiously, before deciding Mao was indeed to be trusted, and brushing her cheek along Mao's fingers.

"She likes you," Rei commented, scratching Driger behind the ears.

"Does 'she' have a name?" Mao asked, gently grabbing the cat by the scruff in order to bring it close enough to pet.

"No, actually," Rei said sheepishly. "I couldn't think of one. Perhaps you're better at giving names than I am... can you think of anything?"

Mao frowned, looking down upon the orange female, whose darker-coloured rosettes were now more noticeable, in the light. What was the perfect name for her…? Suddenly, an idea jumped to her mind. It was a little strange, but Rei **had** asked her opinion…

"How about Galux?" Mao asked, running her hand along the length of the cat's spine.

"Galux? Why Galux?" Rei asked, interested by the strange name.

"My ancestors... were not from this village; the White Tiger village and my ancestors' tribe joined when my parents were very young, only newborns probably, by a marriage between the son of the leader of this village, and a daughter of a village elder from my parents' tribe, the Minx. Galux was the Minx Tribe's sacred animal, but because the woman was from our village, we had to take Driger as our emblem."

"So technically, we're both outcasts..." Rei murmured.

"The Minx tribe's ancestry are supposed to be treated with the same respect as any villager by law, but as you have probably gathered, this isn't so…" Mao trailed off and shrugged, looking sheepish. "So, that's why I think Galux."

"Well, I think Galux is a good name for her," Rei nodded. "Good thing you came along; I couldn't keep calling her 'she' for the rest of her life." He plucked a long stalk of grass from the ground, and flicked it about just in front of Driger's nose. Driger's tail flicked back and forth violently, and he slunk off Rei's lap and crouched alongside of him, ready to pounce at any other movement.

Rei laughed softly and waved the grass in front of Driger's face, before letting it flick forward and catch the cat on the nose. This was too much for both cats, apparently, because Driger leapt forward, clawing violently at the air as he tried to get a grip on the flimsy plant; but he failed miserably every time. Galux jumped off Mao's lap, catching the pink-haired girl off-guard, and watched the fluttery object with some interest, with eyes wide and tail swishing back and forth violently. She finally made her move, and jumped out to pin the grass under her paw. Rei smiled and gave a sharp yank on the stalk, pulling it from her grasp. After that, Galux just seemed to take the same kamikaze approach as Driger.

"What do you feed them?" Mao asked, suddenly noticing Rei hadn't brought any food with him to feed the small cats.

"If I have any scraps to spare, I bring them for them to eat. But I didn't have any this time... so presumably, they survive the way any cat would in the wild; by hunting."

_'Well, that would explain the lack of wildlife I noticed earlier…'_ Mao thought, watching Driger's sharp claws rake at the grass once again. Watching Rei laugh and play with his pets gave him a vague, child-like innocence that she felt herself drawn to… she had never been allowed to have pets as a child, and seeing Rei happy, with the two small cats seemed to ease her mind; at least he wasn't **totally** alone all the time …

"Mao…" Rei started, dropping the stalk of grass for the cats to tap lightly with their paws. They quickly lost interest once they discovered it didn't move of its own accord.

"Yes, Rei?" she asked, staring into his eyes, noticing they were full of sincerity…

"What was your childhood in the village like? Sorry if I seem nosy," Rei said, immediately noticing Mao's doubt. "But I really would like to know…"

Mao sighed. "Are you ready for a long story?"

Rei nodded, and watched her attentively. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Mao paused for a moment, trying to decide where to start. "Well when I was growing up, my brother Lee was really my only friend…"

**-X-**

"Urgh, and then there was this dopey girl called Chun-Mei… Dong-Mei… something to do with flowers anyway," Mao stated bitterly, causing Rei to bite on his bottom lip to prevent peels of laughter escaping his lips. Mao really was an amusing girl…

"Anyway, she always tried to play with my hair, and put it up in _pretty bows_…" Mao scowled. "She would always say 'why won't you put your hair up, and let it look pretty Mao? You have such pretty hair, you'll never get a husband if you wear it all scruffy like a boy's…' I told her I didn't want a husband, and she told my parents, who gave me a stern talking-to, let me tell you..."

The two people were splayed haphazardly next to each other in the grass, staring at the sky. Rei was scratching Driger's ears, albeit vaguely, as he listened to Mao. Driger was perched on his lap, purring so deeply he almost sounded like a car engine. Galux was stretched out next to Mao, cuddled into the woman's side for warmth. Mao's arms were tucked comfortably behind her head, and her legs were crossed comfortably.

"And this Something-Mei girl had this irritating green-haired cousin called Kiki… little snoop, always putting his nose where it didn't belong! Thankfully, their families left the village when the sickness that killed my parents came to the village." Rei was surprised by the lack of emotion in her voice as she recalled her dead parents. "Did your parents get sick too, Rei?"

Rei's brow furrowed and he stared intensely at the sky. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, then…" Mao said softly. "I didn't really care about my parents at all… it sounds very selfish, but to me, they were the symbols of my future life as a housewife," Mao grumbled. "Their deaths seemed… totally unremarkable to me."

"I understand… maybe the only reason I grieved for my parents so was because I really had no-one else…" Rei said softly.

Their conversation reached an uncomfortable pause. Mao stared vaguely at the sky, and for the first time in hours, noticed the darkening colours, and the sun just about to start disappearing under the horizon.

"Ah! What time is it?" Mao yelped, sitting bolt upright and startling Galux in the process.

"Not sure… late afternoon sometime. Why?" Rei asked.

"I told Lee I would be back by midday!" Mao said, hauling herself to her feet. Rei also stood up, but not before giving both cats a final, affectionate pat.

"So, you're in trouble?"

"You have no idea," Mao groaned.

"Well, I'll walk you back to my house, and you can make your way back from there," Rei said, offering her his hand again. She took it, and he guided her back through the thick boundary of trees around the hidden glade. They made the majority of their trip in silence, but once they reached the stream, Rei dropped Mao hand and stared directly into her eyes, which made heat rise to her face, but not quite enough for him to notice in the failing light.

"We can't have you almost falling in again," he said in a faux-honourable tone, and Mao rolled her eyes. "So I'll carry you across the stream."

This time, Mao was sure Rei noticed her flushed face, but he didn't say anything about it. "Are you sure? I mean, I am perfectly capable of getting across by myself…"

"Oh, cut it. If I wasn't there, you would have been behind-first into the stream," Rei smirked. "So I'll help you." And with that, he's walked over to Mao and scooped her up in his arms bridal-style. Mao shrieked, partly because she was surprised by his sudden move, partly because his left hand was resting on her upper thigh, and partly because he'd simply jumped into the stream without any warning. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to keep herself from falling.

Mao felt Rei's warm, soft breath fan against the top of her head in a low chuckle. "Scared?"

"Of course not…" Mao said, looking carefully at the water below her.

"Sure. I believe you," Rei said, with a trace of sarcasm. Mao sighed and tried to ignore the way her heart was thudding in her chest. And whenever she felt Rei's skin against hers, she became very aware that her racing heartbeat definitely wasn't from fright.

Once they reached the opposite side of the stream, Rei released his hold on her slowly, and she allowed him to ease her back onto her feet. Mao found herself stifling a yawn, and Rei smiled at her. At his gentle, affectionate grin, Mao felt her heart leaping into overdrive once again.

"Come on Mao. Not far to go."

They walked back to Rei's house side-by-side and once they reached the structure, Mao felt obliged to thank him for his kindness.

"Thank you, Rei," she started, not quite sure where to finish.

"It was really no problem; it was nice to have some company," Rei smiled.

"Because your bandages got wet today, I'll come back tomorrow and replace them," she said, fully aware that she was making an excuse to see him. Perhaps he knew it too, because his gentle grin widened at the proposition.

"Sounds good to me. I'll be here all day," Rei said. "Thanks for keeping me company today, Mao." And with that, he leaned forward slowly, and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow," Rei finished, and he quickly disappeared around the front door of his house.

Mao, with her face as red as a tomato, placed the tips of her fingers to the place where Rei had kissed her. And, ashamed to admit it as she was, she couldn't rid herself of the damning blush on her cheeks all of the way back to her home.

**-X-**

And this is where the romance starts! Their relationship in this fic is rather delicate… but they're destined lovers, and once you find the one you love, they say you know from the start that they're your soul mate… I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I know what you're thinking; "only on the cheek?" Well, keep in mind that if you review, in the future this will change…


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